Christmas at 221b - or Not
by spike.writes
Summary: Jim is happily anticipating his first Christmas with Sherlock, spent in the comfort of 221b Baker Street. But he soon learns that Sherlock has a surprise planned for him. A surprise that will take them into the heart of the Welsh countryside . . .


This is my first ever Christmas fic so please leave concrit :-)  
>Enjoy and Merry Christmas!<p>

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><p>Consulting boyfriends. Lestrade and Mycroft had come up with the name as a bit of a joke over tea in the Diogenes Club, but it seemed to have stuck. Even the consulting boyfriends in question, Sherlock and Jim, had taken up the joke. For the past few Christmases, their cards to each other had been signed <em>Your Consulting Boyfriend<em>. But they were determined that this year would be different. Sherlock and Jim had regularly been separated at Christmas because of their work and the secrecy of the relationship. The couple had found coming out difficult at the time, but looked back on the event with amusement. Sherlock coming out as bi and Jim revealing his 'inner gay', as they liked to call it, had prompted a spate of high-profile couples making their relationships public. Sherlock's particular favourite couple were his older brother, Mycroft, and Detective Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. He thought Mycroft would distance himself from his brother after he and Jim came out, but the opposite was true. Sherlock had texted his brother a simple four-word message:

_Found myself a genius called Jim._

Mycroft's reply was almost instant.

_Found myself a goldfish called Greg._

The memory of that life-changing day made Sherlock laugh even now. But it wasn't just Sherlock's acquaintances that had been pushed to come out. Several of Jim's high-flying friends, such as one Sebastian Moran, had revealed their true sexualities that day. Like one of Jim's favourite authors, Oscar Wilde, said 'A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.' Or as Jim liked to put it, 'A man can be happy with any man as long as he loves him.' And love was the best word for it. Sherlock and Jim had their arguments, trials and tribulations, but they struggled through it all because of their love. And it was because of this love that Sherlock wanted to give Jim the best Christmas he'd ever had.

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><p>Mrs Hudson tutted as she entered the door of 221b Baker Street, Sherlock, John, and, far more frequently now, Jim Moriarty's flat. Usually, the flat would be festooned with tinsel and cards at this time of year, but today the festive spirit seemed sadly lacking. John had installed a limp branch of holly on the mantelpiece, but apart from that, the flat was bare.<p>

She went up to the attic above 221b and pulled down some tinsel and baubles to decorate a Christmas tree. When she returned to the flat, Sherlock was sitting in his armchair, sipping at a cup of tea. The detective's eyes fixed on the bundle of Christmas decorations in her arms and he sighed. "Mrs Hudson, what did I tell you? Jim and I aren't going to be here for Christmas and neither is John, so why should you bother?"

Mrs Hudson tilted her head in confusion. "But Jim specifically told me to decorate, because you two would be staying at home for your first official Christmas together! Who am I supposed to believe?" Sherlock crossed the room with long, easy strides and took Mrs Hudson by the wrists. Once, a gesture like that would have terrified her, but Sherlock had softened in the last year. She liked to think it was Jim's soothing influence at work. "Look, Mrs Hudson, Jim probably told you that because that's what I told you we would be doing. But I've actually got a perfect case on the back burner for us to solve at Christmas. A nice little murder in Wales, near seversl waterfalls."

Mrs Hudson smiled. It was nice to see Sherlock planning little surprises like this for Jim, as it showed a more caring side to his personality that she didn't use to believe existed. "Fine, Sherlock, but what am I meant to tell Jim? You know what he's like when he doesn't get his way!" Sherlock smiled indulgently at his landlady. "You are to tell him that I have planned something for him, and it will be more exciting if he doesn't know what it is yet." Releasing her wrists, he took the decorations into his arms and, moving slowly, almost hypnotically, set them down on the stairs outside 221b. "Are you okay about doing this for me?" Mrs Hudson nodded, and retreated back to the attic to put the tinsel back into its dusty box.

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><p>"So, Sherlock. Mrs Hudson says you have a 'surprise' planned for me. Care to tell me what it is?" Jim leaned back in his chair, hands forming a steeple in unconscious imitation of his boyfriend. "It does make me wonder what it is, if it merits Mrs Hudson limiting her Christmss decorations to her flat only." His eyes narrowed, and Sherlock could tell he had gone into 'deduction mode'. "It must be a . . . holiday away somewhere, because John is staying at Harry's over Christmas, and you love Christmas decorations. And it seems to involve a case, given your posture. If the case is a Christmas present for me - no, it must be for both of us, you wouldn't let me have one for myself, we'd have to share it - it'll be a murder. Judging from your eyes, I'm exactly right, and . . . you seem to have been anticipating it for a while. So presumably, something not too urgent that Lestrade gave you, what, three weeks ago. Therefore, it's the waterfall murders in Wales. <em>Am I right?<em>"

Sherlock nodded, intensely proud of his boyfriend's intellect. "You must be familiar with the case by now, surely? Lestrade's been given hell by the families for delaying it so long, but he can't really say that it's because his star detective is going to give it as a Christmas present to his boyfriend, can he?" They both chuckled, and Jim said huskily, "This is going to be our best Christmas ever." He leant in and kissed Sherlock. "Thank you, Sherlock."


End file.
